thin kerf vs. thick?

What about the wood you save with narrower kerfs?

Barry

I've been told by the folks that sell WW2, that think kerf is better suited for a TS with less that 3HP. I've got the regular kerf and I'm planning to by the thin kerf at the next Woodworkers Show in Sacramento.

I use a full kerf on a 2HP saw and it goes through wood like butter. Ok, I haven't tried 12/4 maple yet, but 4/4 maple is a breeze...

Does your saw have a hard time? Slow feed rates or bogging? If not, why buy a thin kerf blade if you have a very expensive regular kerf blade already?

isn't that a tiny amount? I prefer the std kerf blade for being less flexible and more apt to run true. I HATE the thin kerf blades on my miter box; can't do a wide cut without getting a curved cut. no matter how slow I feed the blade. learned the hard way when cutting shallow drawer pieces from baltic birch. That problem prompted me to halt a project and spend the day building a 2 runner sled with Incra slides. Now I crosscut anything I want dead straight, on the TS.

dave

B a r r y wrote:

Oh.. No... you really did not ask that.... LOL

Mel I believe you have a good grasp on the subject.

I hear them say that also but don't understand it. Maybe 1/2 hp for thin kerf as a regular kerf worked fine on my old 1 hp TS.

Unless you cut a lot of thick stock, I don't see much benefit but I do see some potential problems with wavy cuts. They also recommend a stabilizer with the thin kerf. For my use, I just don't seen enough of a benefit. Ed

For me, a thin kerf cuts better in two specific instances.

(1) on wood that's 1/4 or less, given equal quality/sharpness/etc of the blades. I'm at a loss to explain it, but I get a noticeably cleaner cut.

(2) on treated wood. (yea, go ahead and laugh, I rip/crosscut that stuff from time to time on my table saw for my neighbors...)

In just about any other case, especially the thicker or softer the wood, a full kerf works better for me.

I always cut treated wood outside. You are either a saint or the neighbors make it worth your while, somehow. Are they blonde, by any chance? :)

dave

Dave wrote:

Trollin', trollin' trollin'...

Barry

Dave,

I switched to a 44 tooth GP Freud Diablo thin kerf on my 12" TS and have been real happy with it. I have been mainly dealing with hard maple up to

Another post mentioned re-sharpening, from memory I paid about $35.00 from either Lowe's of HD, at that price I'd rather have a new blade.

Bernard R

One of my neighbors had a wood shop for years and used thin kerf blades for just that reason. When he retired, he used all the wood saved from it to build a new house and furniture for it. Sure is a lot of glue joints with all the small pieces, but he saved a bundle. Ed

LOL... You know, years ago,,,15 maybe, they used that as a sales pitch... Less wasteful... When was the last time you used all of a board...

Uh huh..

OK.... time to fess up!!

Awww ... Now come on .... Who _gave_ him the forty tons of glue he needed ?????

Curious minds wanna know :-)

-- Steve

I think the slider is what allows a straight cut. When a thin kerf blade is mounted on a non slider, it's more likely a wide cut will be bowed.

dave

Bernard Randall wrote:

I've got a Ridgid TS2400LS saw. We got it almost 2 years ago when I was starting taking classes in woodshop. If I knew then what I know now, I would have spent the extra money and bought a "real" cabinet saw. I've ripped alder, oak and cedar with the WW2 with no problems (maybe a little burn, but no hesitation).

Ok, you've convinced me to save the $90 at the show and buy some other "toy". Also I've got $85 coming to me from working at the polling place this last Tuesday. Wow, what can $175 buy?

Yeahbutt - what I lose in wood, I get back in sawdust. (Necessary for those of us who still need a'lotta "filler") :)